Compensation not yet offered to MH370 passengers

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Compensation for the 239 passengers and crew of the vanished Malaysian airlines flight has not yet been considered, a top official said here Sunday as the search stretched into the ninth day.

Malaysian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told reporters that only immediate financial assistance is being given to the families of the passengers and crew on the flight that disappeared last Saturday.

"Right now we are giving immediate financial assistance. We have not looked at compensation until we know exactly what happened to the flight,"he said.

The statement came amid reports that some families of passengers have been offered small compensation or asked to sign off on documents.

The passengers and crew are still under scrutiny by Malaysian officials with the assistance of international intelligence agencies but Malaysian Police Chief Khalid Abu Bakar insisted that so far no suspects have emerged.

"There are still a few more background evaluations to be completed but at this point we have agreed that the two passengers traveling on stolen passports are not hijackers," Bakar said.

"I cannot agree with the claim that airport security was inadequate. All due processors were followed and there is no indication that there were oversights in the normal procedure," he said in response to questions from reporters, adding that ground staff connected to MH370 would also be investigated.

The Malaysian government on Sunday said appeals have been made to 25 countries to provide satellite information, radar playback as well as aircraft and ships to continue the ever-expanding search.

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Police have visited pilot and co-pilot homes, and neither of them has asked to fly together on flight MH370, a Malaysian official said here Sunday.

Speaking at a press conference, Malaysian Transport and Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that police have visited the homes of both of the plane's pilots and spoke to the captain's family members and experts are examining his flight simulator. Full story

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday the disappearance of the missing Malaysia Airlines jet was deliberate, and the authorities have refocused their investigation into its crew and passengers. But he stopped short of confirming a hijack. Full story

NEW DELHI, March 16 (Xinhua) -- A top Indian military Air Force officer has ruled out the possibility that the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 could have flown over India on way to Kazakhstan- Turkmenistan in Central Asia, said local media Sunday.Full story